GRI/UNGC Index

As a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), Kimberly-Clark is required to annually communicate its progress in promoting the UNGC’s ten principles.

The Response column below contains links to the areas of our corporate website and sustainability report that relate to each UNGC principle, and serves as Kimberly-Clark’s Communication on Progress (COP).

People
Planet
Products

PART I: Profile Disclosures
#	Description	UNGC Cross-Reference	Response
1. Strategy and Analysis
1.1	Statement from the most senior decision-maker of the organization that includes: short-, medium- and long-term vision, broad trends affecting sustainability priorities, key events and achievements and failures, views on performance, and short- and long-term challenges.	Statement of continuing support	CEO Letter
1.2	Description of key impacts, risks and opportunities, how these are prioritized, performance progress and processes, how sustainability impacts financial performance, a table outlining performance targets, and governance mechanisms in place to manage these risks and opportunities.	Principle 8	Our Approach
2. Organizational Profile
2.1	Name of the organization.		Kimberly-Clark Corporation
2.2	Primary brands, products and services, and the degree to which the company utilizes outsourcing.		Our Business
2.3	Operational structure of the organization, including main divisions, operating companies, subsidiaries and joint ventures		Our Business
2.4	Location of organization's headquarters.		Dallas, Texas
2.5	Number of countries where the organization operates, and names of countries with either major operations or that are specifically relevant to the sustainability issues covered in the report.		Our Business
2.6	Nature of ownership and legal form.		Form-10K, page 1
2.7	Markets served, including geographic breakdown, sectors served, and types of customers/beneficiaries.		Our Business
2.8	Scale of the reporting organization, including: # of employees, number of operations, net sales, total capitalization broken out by debt and equity, quantity of products or services, total assets, ownership breakdown, sales and revenues by region, costs by region, and number of employees.		Our Business, Form-10K, pages 3, 8, 11 and 65
2.9	Significant changes during the reporting period regarding size, structure, or ownership.		Our Business, Form-10K, page 12
2.10	Awards received in the reporting period.		Awards Map
3. Report Parameters
3.1	Reporting period (e.g., fiscal/calendar year) for information provided.		January–December 2011
3.2	Date of most recent previous report (if any).		2010
3.3	Reporting cycle (annual, biennial, etc.)		Annual
3.4	Contact point for questions regarding the report or its contents.		sustainability@kcc.com
3.5	Process for defining report content, including: materiality analysis, report topic prioritization, stakeholders expected to use the report, and how the company applied GRI's "Guidance on Defining Report Content." - We will include more detailed materiality analysis in our next report.	Principle 8	About This Report
3.6	Boundary of the report (e.g., countries, divisions, subsidiaries, leased facilities, joint ventures, suppliers), and whether the company has either control or significant influence over the entity.		About This Report
3.7	State any specific limitations on the scope or boundary of the report.		About This Report
3.8	Basis for reporting on joint ventures, subsidiaries, leased facilities, outsourced operations, and other entities that can significantly affect comparability from period to period and/or between organizations.		About This Report
3.9	Data measurement techniques and the bases of calculations, including assumptions and techniques underlying estimations applied to the compilation of the Indicators and other information in the report. Explain any decisions not to apply, or to substantially diverge from, the GRI Indicator Protocols.		About This Report
3.10	Explanation of the effect of any re-statements of information provided in earlier reports, and the reasons for such re-statement (e.g.,mergers/acquisitions, change of base years/periods, nature of business, measurement methods).		Performance Data–Planet
3.11	Significant changes from previous reporting periods in the scope, boundary, or measurement methods applied in the report.		None
3.12	Table identifying the location of the Standard Disclosures in the report.		GRI/UNGC Index
3.13	Policy and current practice with regard to seeking external assurance for the report.	Principle 8	Assurance
4. Governance, Commitments, and Engagement
4.1	Governance structure of the organization, including committees under the highest governance body responsible for specific tasks, such as setting strategy or organizational oversight. Include number of independent board members, committee memberships, ESG responsibilities of board members, gender, age group, minority membership. (can be cross-referenced with LA13)	Principle 8	SAB Overview
4.2	Indicate whether the Chair of the highest governance body is also an executive officer.		CEO Letter
4.3	For organizations that have a unitary board structure, state the number of members of the highest governance body that are independent and/or non-executive members. How does the company define "independent" and "non-executive."		Governance & Ethics
4.4	Mechanisms for shareholders and employees to provide recommendations or direction to the highest governance body. Include processes for shareholder resolutions, how the company works with representation bodies and how they are represented on/to the board, and ESG topics raised through these mechanisms.		Kimberly-Clark.com Contact the Board
4.5	Linkage between compensation for members of the highest governance body, senior managers, and executives (including departure arrangements), and the organization's performance (including social and environmental performance).		Compensation
4.6	Processes in place for the highest governance body to ensure conflicts of interest are avoided.	Principle 10	Governance & Ethics
4.7	Process for determining the qualifications and expertise of the members of the highest governance body and its commitees, including considerations for gender and other measures of diversity.		SAB Overview
4.8	Internally developed statements of mission or values, codes of conduct, and principles relevant to economic, environmental, and social performance and the status of their implementation. Include how these are applied across the company in different regions and relate to internationally agreed standards.	Principles 1 & 8	Our Approach
4.9	Procedures of the highest governance body for overseeing the organization's identification and management of economic, environmental, and social performance, including relevant risks and opportunities, and adherence or compliance with internationally agreed standards, codes of conduct, and principles. Include frequency with which the board assesses sustainability performance.	Principles 7 & 8	SAB Overview
4.10	Processes for evaluating the highest governance body's own performance, particularly with respect to economic, environmental, and social performance.	Principle 8	Governance & Ethics
4.11	Explanation of whether and how the precautionary principle is addressed by the organization.	Principle 7	Our Approach
4.12	Externally developed economic, environmental, and social charters, principles, or other initiatives to which the organization subscribes or endorses. Include date of adoption, regions where applied, and stakeholders involved. Differentiate between non-binding, voluntary and compulsory initiatives.	Principles 1 & 8	External Principles & Memberships
4.13	Memberships in associations and/or national/international advocacy organizations in which the organization has positions in governance bodies, participates in projects or commitees, provides substantive funding beyond membership dues, and views membership as strategic		External Principles & Memberships
4.14	List of stakeholder groups engaged by the organization.		Stakeholder Engagement
4.15	Basis for identification and selection of stakeholders with whom to engage. Should include how company defines stakeholder groups, and how it determines those with which to engage and not engage.		Stakeholder Engagement
4.16	Approaches to stakeholder engagement, including frequency of engagement by type and by stakeholder group. Can include surveys, focus groups, community panels, corporate advisory boards, written communication, union structures and other vehicles. Should indicate whether any engagements were a direct result of the report preparation process.	Principle 8	Stakeholder Engagement Key Partnerships
4.17	Key topics and concerns that have been raised through stakeholder engagement, and how the organization has responded to those key topics and concerns, including through its reporting. While the specific results of our negotiations with stakeholders are confidential, they serve to inform our goal-setting and sustainability strategy.		Stakeholder Engagement
PART II: Performance Indicators
Environmental
DMA	A brief overview of the organization's management approach including: goals and performance, policy, organizational responsibility, training and awareness, monitoring and follow up, and any additional contextual information.	Principle 8	Overview & Goals
EN1	Materials used by weight or volume.	Principle 8	Economic Impact
EN2	Percentage of materials used that are recycled input materials.	Principle 8	Performance Data–Planet
EN3	Direct energy consumption by primary energy source.	Principle 8	Performance Data–Planet
EN4	Indirect energy consumption by primary source.	Principle 8	Performance Data–Planet
EN5	Energy saved due to conservation and efficiency improvements.	Principle 8	Energy Use
EN6	Initiatives to provide energy-efficient or renewable energy based products and services, and reductions in energy requirements as a result of these initiatives.	Principles 8 & 9	Energy Use
EN7	Initiatives to reduce indirect energy consumption and reductions achieved	Principles 8 & 9	Energy Use
EN8	Total water withdrawal by source.	Principle 8	Performance Data–Planet
EN9	Water sources significantly affected by withdrawal of water.	Principle 8	Performance Data–Planet
EN10	Percentage and total volume of water recycled and reused.	Principle 8	Water
EN11	Location and size of land owned, leased, managed in, or adjacent to, protected areas and areas of high biodiversity value outside protected areas.	Principle 8	We do not own any forestlands.
EN12	Description of significant impacts of activities, products, and services on biodiversity in protected areas and areas of high biodiversity value outside protected areas.	Principle 8	Our fiber is not sourced from protected areas or areas of high diversity outside protects areas.
EN16	Total direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions by weight.	Principle 8	Performance Data–Planet
EN17		Principle 8	Performance Data–Planet
EN18	Initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and reduction achieved	Principles 7, 8 & 9	Climate Change
EN19	Emissions of ozone-depleting substances by weight.	Principle 8	Performance Data–Planet
EN20	NOx, SOx, and other significant air emissions by type and weight.	Principle 8	Performance Data–Planet
EN21	Total water discharge by quality and destination.	Principle 8	Performance Data–Planet
EN22	Total weight of waste by type and disposal method.	Principle 8	Performance Data–Planet
EN23	Total number and volume of significant spills.	Principle 8	A leak at our Chester Mill allowed 350,000 gallons of untreated wastewater to enter the Delaware River. The PA Department of Environmental Protection was notified of the release.
EN24	Weight of transported, imported, exported, or treated waste deemed hazardous under the terms of the Basel Convention Annex I, II, III, and VIII, and percentage of transported hazardous waste shipped internationally	Principle 8	Performance Data–Planet
EN26	Initiatives to mitigate environmental impacts of products and services, and extent of impact mitigation.	Principles 7, 8 & 9	Reforestation
EN27	Percentage of products sold and their packaging materials that are reclaimed by category.	Principles 8 & 9	Performance Data–Planet
EN28	Monetary value of significant fines and total number of non-monetary sanctions for non-compliance with environmental laws and regulations.	Principles 8 & 9	Performance Data–Planet
EN30	Total environmental protection expenditures and investments by type.	Principles 7 & 8	Economic Indicators
Human Rights
DMA	A brief overview of the organization's management approach including: goals and performance, policy, organizational responsibility, training and awareness, monitoring and follow up, and any additional contextual information		Human Rights
HR1	Percentage and total number of significant investment agreements and contracts that include clauses incorporating human rights concerns, or that have undergone human rights screening.	Principles 1 - 6	Clauses concerning human rights are incorporated into all of our terms and conditions in supplier contracts and purchase orders. In 2012, these terms and conditions will be updated to include a section that discusses our new Supplier Social Compliance Standards.
HR2	Percentage of significant suppliers, contractors and other business partners that have undergone screening on human rights screening, and actions taken.	Principles 1 - 6	About 100 of our high-risk suppliers have signed a statement of compliance with our updated Supplier Social Compliance Standards, and in 2012, these standards will be communicated to lower-risk suppliers as well.
HR3	Total hours of employee training on policies and procedures concerning aspects of human rights that are relevant to operations, including the percentage of employees trained	Principles 1 - 6	65,000
HR4	Total number of incidents of discrimination, and actions taken	Principle 6	In 2011, there were 776 complaints based on "harrassment and discrimination." Of those, only 13 were substantive enough to report to our insurers.
HR5	Operations and significant suppliers identified in which the right to exercise freedom of association and collective bargaining may be violated or at significant risk, and actions taken to support these rights	Principles 1, 2 & 3	Internally, we conduct an annual Code of Conduct survey, as well as having multiple reporting mechanisms, as well as country-specific communications on this issue as country developments warrant. Externally, one of the pillars of our Social Compliance program is requiring suppliers to ensure Freedom of Association; we also audit for Freedom of Association violations as part of our supplier social compliance auditing program.
HR6	Operations and significant suppliers identified as having significant risk for incidents of child labor, and measures taken to contribute to the effective abolition of child labor	Principles 1, 2 & 5	We do not report this data at this time, though intend to begin reporting this information in our next report.
HR7	Operations and significant suppliers identified as having significant risk for incidents of forced or compulsory labor, and measures to contribute to the elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labor	Principles 1, 2 & 4	We do not report this data at this time, though intend to begin reporting this information in our next report.
HR8	Percentage of security personnel trained in the organization's policies or procedures concerning aspects of human rights that are relevant to operations.	Principles 1 & 2	100%
HR9	Total number of incidents of violations involving rights of indigenous people and actions taken	Principles 1 & 2	Zero
HR10	Percentage and total number of operations that have been subject to human rights reviews and/or impact assessments	Principles 1, 2, 4 & 5	100%
HR11	Number of grievances related to human rights filed, addressed and resolved through formal grievance mechanims	Principles 1, 2, 4 & 5	88 grievances were filed in 2011, 13 of which resulted in follow-up action.
Labor Practices and Decent Work
DMA	A brief overview of the organization's management approach including: goals and performance, policy, organizational responsibility, training and awareness, monitoring and follow up, and any additional contextual information		Employees
LA1	Total workforce by employment type, employment contract, and region, broken down by gender		Performance Data–People
LA2	Total number and rate of new employee hires and employee turnover by age group, gender, and region.	Principle 6	Performance Data–People
LA3	Benefits provided to full-time employees that are not provided to temporary or part-time employees, by major operations.		All full-time and part-time salaried employees receive the same benefits.
LA4	Percentage of employees covered by collective bargaining agreements.	Principle 3	Performance Data–People
LA5	Minimum notice period(s) regarding significant operational changes, including whether it is specified in collective agreements.	Principle 5	We do not track this information. In the U.S., no operational change that would significantly impact worker rights as represented in a collective bargaining agreement can happen without consultation with the union first.
LA6	Percentage of total workforce represented in formal joint management-worker health and safety committees that help monitor and advise on occupational health and safety programs.	Principle 1	95%
LA7	Rates of injury, occupational diseases, lost days and absenteeism, and number of work-related fatalities by region and gender	Principle 1	Performance Data–People
LA8	Education, training, counseling, prevention, and risk-control programs in place to assist workforce members, their families, or community members regarding serious diseases.	Principle 1	K-C’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provides counseling services to employees and family members in 21 countries, and approximately 8.5 percent of these employees used the service in 2011. This compares with an industry standard of 3.5 percent, and is credited to K-C’s strong management support, local EAP committees and continuous promotion of the program.
LA9	Health and safety topics covered in formal agreements with trade unions.		All unionized facilities and contracts operate under the K-C policies on safety and health. Click here for more information.
LA15	Return to work and retention rates after parental leave by gender		100% of our 39 female employees and 46 male employees who took time off for the birth or adoption of a child returned to work.
LA10	Average hours of training per year per employee by gender and employee category.		We do not currently have a system to centralize reporting for functional learning, so this data is unavailable. However, a global Learning Management System is slated for implementation by the end of 2012.
LA11	Programs for skills management and lifelong learning that support the continued employability of employees and assist them in managing career endings.		Training & Benefits, Labor Relations
LA12	Percentage of employees receiving regular performance and career development reviews, by gender		100% of our salaried exempt and non-exempt employees globally (20,888) receive annual performance reviews. Hourly or production employees' performance reviews vary.
LA13	Composition of governance bodies and breakdown of employees per category according to gender, age group, minority group membership, and other indicators of diversity.	Principle 6	Performance Data–People
LA14	Ratio of basic salary and renumeration of women to men by employee category, by significant locations of operation	Principle 6	K-C is currently installing processes which will give us access to this data globally by early 2014.
Society
DMA	A brief overview of the organization's management approach including: goals and performance, policy, organizational responsibility, training and awareness, monitoring and follow up, and any additional contextual information		Community
SO1	Percentage of operations with implemented local community engagement, impact assessments, and development programs		62%
SO9	Operations with significant potential or actual negative impacts on local communities		Labor Relations
SO10	Prevention and mitigation measures implemented in operations with significant potential or actual negative impacts on local communities		Labor Relations
SO2	Percentage and total number of business units analyzed for risks related to corruption.	Principle 10	Internal Audit conducted a formal risk assessment focused on corruption risk factors in 55 out of 57 countries where K-C operates throughout the globe. The only countries where K-C has operations that were not included in the Risk Assessment are the U.S. and Canada.
SO3	Percentage of employees trained in organization's anti-corruption policies and procedures.	Principle 10	Every employee has received a one-hour training on our Code of Conduct, with specialized training for HR employees and supervisors. It is the policy of Kimberly-Clark to conduct business in compliance with all anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws.
SO4	Actions taken in response to incidents of corruption.	Principle 10	Governance & Ethics
SO5	Public policy positions and participation in public policy development and lobbying.	Principles 8, 9 & 10	In 2011, Kimberly-Clark reported $350,000 in expenditures on U.S. federal lobbying activities, which includes the salaries and other expenses of K-C employees engaged in lobbying, fees paid to outside consultants lobbying on Kimberly-Clark’s behalf, and the portion of trade association dues used for lobbying.
SO6	Total value of financial and in-kind contributions to political parties, politicians, and related institutions by country.	Principle 10	Kimberly-Clark does not operate a political action committee (PAC). Similarly, the company makes no contributions from other sources of funds to political candidates, PACs that contribute to candidates, or other organizations formed solely to influence races for public office.
SO8	Monetary value of significant fines and total number of non-monetary sanctions for non-compliance with laws and regulations.	Principle 10	Governance & Ethics
Product Responsibility
DMA	A brief overview of the organization's management approach including: goals and performance, policy, organizational responsibility, training and awareness, monitoring and follow up, and any additional contextual information		Overview & Goals
PR1	Lifecycle stages in which health and safety impacts of products and services are assessed for improvement, and percentage of significant products and services categories subject to such procedures.	Principle 7	Development of product concept (yes) R&D (yes) Certification (yes) Manufacturing and production (yes) Marketing and promotion (no) Storage distribution and supply (yes)
PR2	Total number of incidents of non-compliance with regulations and voluntary codes concerning health, and safety impacts of products and services during their lifecycle, by type of outcomes.		Zero
PR3	Type of product and service information required by procedures, and percentage of significant products, and services subject to such information requirements		The sourcing of components of the product or service (some) Content, particularly with regard to substances that might produce an environmental or social impact (some) Safe use of the product or service (yes) Disposal of the product and environmental/social impacts (some)
PR4	Total number of incidents of non-compliance with regulations and voluntary codes concerning product and service information and labeling, by type of outcomes.		Zero
PR5	Practices related to customer satisfaction, including results of surveys measuring customer satisfaction.		Performance Data–People
PR6	Programs for adherence to laws, standards, and voluntary codes related to marketing communications, including advertising, promotion, and sponsorship.		Kimberly-Clark.com Governance
PR8	Total number of substantiated complaints regarding breaches of customer privacy and losses of customer data.		There were three minor substantiated complaints in 2011 that were resolved.
PR9	Monetary value of significant fines for non-compliance with laws and regulations concerning the provision and use of products and services.		Governance & Ethics
Economic
DMA	A brief overview of the organization's management approach including: goals and performance, policy, organizational responsibility, training and awareness, monitoring and follow up, and any additional contextual information		Our Business
EC1	Direct economic value generated and distributed, including revenues, operating costs, employee compensation, donations and other community investments, retained earnings, payments to capital providers, and payments to governments		Economic Indicators
EC2	Financial implications and other risks and opportunities for the organization's activities due to climate change.	Principle 7	Climate Change
EC3	Coverage of the organization's defined benefit plan obligations.		Form 10-K
EC4	Significant financial assistance received from government.		Economic Indicators
EC5	Range of ratios of standard entry level wage compared to local minimum wage at significant locations of operation.	Principle 1	Performance Data–People
EC6	Policy, practices, and proportion of spending on locally-based suppliers at significant locations of operation.		We source the majority of our goods and services from the region in which they are used by K-C manufacturing processes. K-C regions are defined as follows: U.S./Canada, Mexico, Central & South America, Europe, Middle East/Africa, North Asia, and South Asia.
EC7	Procedures for local hiring and proportion of senior management hired from the local community at significant locations of operation.	Principle 6	International Diversity
EC8	Development and impact of infrastructure investments and services provided primarily for public benefit through commercial, in-kind, or pro bono engagement.		Community
EC9	Understanding and describing significant indirect economic impacts, including the extent of impacts.		Labor Relations